Buy From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America

This book is very interesting and easy to read. It is very istructive and the author demostrated he has full knowledge of the matter that he writing about.
You can learn important information in the history of wine in America.Get more detail about From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America.

Purchase A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine (Vintage)

Maybe I was hoping for something different, but in general this is not a book of depth. Each 2-4 page essay is well-written in a literary, yet unpretentious style. If you're looking for a wine book to read in 5 minute spurts, this is it. But you don't get much more than a few names, descriptors or anecdotes with each section. It's a shallow if entertaining approach.

Probably more to the point is that a significant proportion of the book is devoted to famous "name" wines. If you're reading in the hope of learning about something new to try, the author's vignettes on great Bordeaux vintages aren't of much use. This sort of wine writing is anachronistic as these are collector's wines for those with great wealth. Contemporary wine writing is best when focused on regions, styles or producers that are generally available.

Thus, I think the author spends too much time fawning over the unattainable--which required the help of wealthy friends for him to experience in the first place. The sections discussing more obscure wines are far more useful to the curious reader, and fortunately this is most of the book.Get more detail about A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine (Vintage).

Order Martini Madness: 380 Recipes To Tempt Your Taste Buds

Just recently, I have found a fondness for Martini's. Love the Cosmo'c (like in Sex & The City) and other flavors. Being a novice, I purchased this hand little book and it's wonderful. Easy to follow the mixes and so many varieties. It was rated high and I recommend it to anyone who already drinks or is a novice.Get more detail about Martini Madness: 380 Recipes To Tempt Your Taste Buds.

Where To Buy Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History andConsumption of All Manner of Booze

Hmmmm this sounds very similar to a book I have - Drink by Iain Gately. That one walys incredibly funny and had lots of interesting facts I enjoyed telling my friends! I ended up giving out endless copies as Christmas gifts as I enjoyed it so much. This book is the same sort thing churned out slightly differently...and not half as interesting. However I do recommend Drink and give that 5 stars! Get more detail about Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History andConsumption of All Manner of Booze.

Shop For X-Rated Shots: More than 50 Shots We Dare You to Say Out Loud (Running Press Miniature Editions)

Fun book. Interesting shots, as well as, a conversion starter. Must have people you're very comfortable around and who are comfortable with sexuality.Get more detail about X-Rated Shots: More than 50 Shots We Dare You to Say Out Loud (Running Press Miniature Editions).

Food As Medicine: How to Use Diet, Vitamins, Juices, and Herbs for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life

This book has significantly expanded my understanding of food and nutrition. Right away I was able to try out new, delicious recipes using new foods and food combinations from around the world: mung beans, Italian-style carrot salad, seaweed. I can honestly say that this book has enriched my life by teaching me how to prepare foods that make you feel GOOD after you eat them. I've also gained a greater awareness of the negatives in our food chain: pesticides, genetic manipulation -- things I'd heard of but never really understood before. The author, with his background as both a medical doctor and as a yoga nutritionist and Seik, presents a wealth of information with great clarity and a kind voice. Get more detail about Food As Medicine: How to Use Diet, Vitamins, Juices, and Herbs for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life.

Super Smoothies: 50 Recipes for Health and Energy Review

I purchased this book a week ago and have been making smoothies everyday since. Yes, there are a variety of ingredients, but I found most of them at my grocery store. I enjoy trying the pairings I would never think of, such as in the adios anemia where prunes are paired with bananas and vanilla soy milk. It was very creamy and I couldn't even taste prunes . My young daughters even enjoyed this and others which included silken tofu. Everyday they want to pick the smoothie I make next and can't wait to try it. My daughters are excited about eating healthy food, what could be better than that! I know soon we will have our favorites and it will be easier to keep the ingredients on hand.Get more detail about Super Smoothies: 50 Recipes for Health and Energy.

Spectacular Wineries of the Napa Valley: A Captivating Tour of Established, Estate and Boutique Wineries (Spectacular Wineries series) Top Quality

Having visited many of these wineries I can say that this book truly captures the best of Napa Valley. The book is an excellent guide of the "must see" wineries of California. I sent a dozen copies to my friends.Get more detail about Spectacular Wineries of the Napa Valley: A Captivating Tour of Established, Estate and Boutique Wineries (Spectacular Wineries series).

The Martini Book: 201 Ways to Mix the Perfect American Cocktail This instant

Even though you will probably never replace the Dirty Martini as the best cocktail ever, and you already know how to make the perfect one, this book will entertain you, and certainly encourage you to experiment. Ingredient index in the back, that's a plus. Looks good displayed in your bar area. Not too expensive. I am glad I own it.Get more detail about The Martini Book: 201 Ways to Mix the Perfect American Cocktail.

The Joy of Home Wine Making Immediately

I have 18 gallons of wine fermenting away in the kitchen, as I write this. I took a gamble and trusted the author, and six of those gallons are carrot wine. In two years, we shall see if that trust was well spent.

Why take a risk and spend an afternoon boiling up 25 pounds of sliced carrots? Because everything else I've made has turned out fantastic.

She pooh-poohs strawberry wine, but it turned out great- it tastes like a chardonnay with hints of strawberry. Maybe not what you would expect in a strawberry wine, but a pleasant surprise if you take it on its own terms.

I have dozens of bottles down in my basement that I've made from recipes out of this book, and all o them have turned out fantastic.

This book would serve as a good introduction for any new brewer, but has enough unique recipes for the more experienced home brewer.

I docked it one star for some inconsistencies that bothered me as a more experienced brewer, but they are such that the the newbie won't even notice them and the more experienced will automatically correct for them.Get more detail about The Joy of Home Wine Making.

The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture) Best Quality

Fabulous read! While I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, the opening section on wines was excellent background material for what was, for me, the "meat" of the book. That is, the sections on local food pioneers in different parts of the US. I want to go to those markets!

Trubek did an excellent job of portraying both the theoretical and practical perspectives of "taste of place" such that I, the reader, am further inspired to be involved with a growing local foods initiative in my own community. Well, hey, isn't that the hallmark of a good non-fiction read? I do believe it is. And on my next venture past Madison, WI, I'm planning to do some exploring.Get more detail about The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture).

Mr. Boston Platinum Edition: 1,500 Recipes, Tools, and Techniques for the Master Mixologist Get it now!

My boyfriend loves to make mixed drinks and this was a nice gift to give him. It is spiral bound on the inside of the thick cover, which is actually a good thing because it means that the book will stay open when you put it down flat on a table. Highly recommended, fun book especially for the $$Get more detail about Mr. Boston Platinum Edition: 1,500 Recipes, Tools, and Techniques for the Master Mixologist.

The Tea Companion Buy Now

The book was sold under the pretense"Like New".It was not,over 1/2 of the book was fluid or water damaged on the lower R corner.However when I got the pages unstuck the Book was very informative about Tea from a novice level. Get more detail about The Tea Companion.

The Concise World Atlas of Wine Order Now

This atlas is the "lite" edition of the World Atlas of Wine, which is the premier wine atlas currently published. I compared both fairly carefully and can't see much difference. The introduction is quite slimmed down. Both have the same number of maps (200), therefore cover the same wine regions. The text is laid out differently and may be a bit edited, but I couldn't see it.

Overall, the Concise World Atlas weighs about half as much, is paperback, and is about 8 x 10 inches, and 50 pages less. These features in themselves makes it more 'concise' and portable, something I would have liked on my last trip to Europe.

If you're looking for a wine atlas to take with you, or if you're on a budget, this is it. If you want a beautiful, large format coffee-table style atlas you might consider the larger World Atlas of Wine. Both are a great resource to the wine lover.Get more detail about The Concise World Atlas of Wine.

Wine Journal Decide Now

This is a nicely done book, lots of room for reviews, and a good amount of room for the label itself. It is sectioned in half for red and whites, plus a section for 'specialty' wines (dessert, port, etc). Since we rarely drink whites, we plan on just ignoring the section titles.Get more detail about Wine Journal.

Lowest Price Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream: With 58 Original Recipes

I looked for quite some time for a book that had a home made ice cream recipe that could compare to my Mom's. I believe I found it in this book. I had forgotten the exact method she used and she passed on. Her's was not a written recipe, it was one in her head. My main job was to turn the crank on the old hand cranked ice cream maker.

There is one recipe in here that is like the method she used and it tastes close. I grew up on a farm and we always had fresh cream and fresh milk to use. My mouth still waters when I think of eating Mom's home canned peaches with fresh cream on them or better still home made ice cream.

I highly recommend this bookGet more detail about Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream: With 58 Original Recipes.

Low Price 365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know

If you like tea, this book is for you. Good coffee table book. Lot of interesting facts and some good recipes inside also. Interesting read... Get more detail about 365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know.

Save Decorative Napkin Folding for Beginners

I love to entertain and this gave me easy napkin folding ideas for each event I have.Get more detail about Decorative Napkin Folding for Beginners.

Discount The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book

I heard her interview with Bob Edwards on NPR radio. She knows all kinds of trivia and minutiae about bourbon. I'm buying the book based on her interesting interview. Stay tuned.Get more detail about The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book.

Cheapest SkinnyTinis: All the Fun for Half the Calories

my wife wanted this book, has several receipes, easy to follow, alot of ways to reduce calorie intake. Good tasting drinks!Get more detail about SkinnyTinis: All the Fun for Half the Calories.

Cheap Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits

There may be more recent books focused on wine or beer, but this is the most comprehensive guide to alcoholic beverages in general. Tired of listening to a couple of colleagues discussing a subject that I knew nothing about, I read this fascinating book, and soon turned the tables: until I showed them evidence, they simply would not believe that Amaretto was made made from apricot pits rather than almonds! Many other products, like Spanish sherry, have interesting details and histories that I had never suspected. About the organization, roughly one-third is devoted to wines (a chapter per country), one-third to other alcoholic beverages, and one-third to technical advice and appendices on menu-planning, storage, vintages, etc. A highly enjoyable and informative book, very nicely balanced.Get more detail about Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits.

Buying Coffee: Scrumptious Drinks and Treats

This is a gorgeous little book that could serve quite well as a gift. The photos are eye-catching, delectable, and frequent. The recipe layout is clean, simple, and easy to read. Directions are easy to follow, and there are no unnecessarily complex recipes in here.

The book starts off with a modest amount of information aimed at helping you to produce a wonderful cup of coffee. (This is largely information such as different brewing methods, a few notes on different roasts, and a page of tips and hints.) This is followed by 'recipes' for the basic coffee drinks that everyone loves. However, the book swiftly moves on to the recipes you won't find in every other book; this seems to me to be a very good compromise.

'Coffee' includes recipes for new and different coffee drinks (one of my favorites is a coffee-based ice cream soda), tidbits to enjoy with your coffee (such as a fantastic pastry to dip in your coffee that's easily assembled from a sheet of puff pastry and some crystallized ginger), and coffee-flavored treats. We made an ice cream recipe from this book that was out of this world. If you're feeling adventurous you could make a coffee-flavored cake with coffee-toffee icing, or you could keep things simple (yet impressive) with java jolt truffles or coffee caramels. Every recipe we tried came out beautifully, and the directions were detailed and easy to follow.Get more detail about Coffee: Scrumptious Drinks and Treats.

Purchase The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics

I like this book. I got it at the bookstore and thought I might have to return it because there are so many recipes that call for home infusions, which take hours-weeks to finish before you can even make the cocktail. However, it's worth it. The Brazil 66 is AMAZING (cachaca, bit of fresh OJ, fresh limes muddled in thick simple syrup--no prep needed)! This book reminds me of a cookbook with tips, stories, and advice. It would make an excellent gift.Get more detail about The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics.

Order Home Winemaking Step by Step: A Guide to Fermenting Wine Grapes

Worthwhile, well written, practical, comprehensive, and easy to follow reference for small scale winemaking hobbyists. Jon Iverson takes the mystery out of the science and includes tips and tricks, personal insights, and his own personal rasberry liqueur recipe. Whether you have access to fresh grapes or kits, this book will guide the new amateur winemaker down a successful path and help you develop intermediate knowledge over time that leads to your own personal style. A recommended read.

Lynn Keay, President
Sacramento Home Winemakers Get more detail about Home Winemaking Step by Step: A Guide to Fermenting Wine Grapes.

Where To Buy Afternoon Tea

this is a beautifully photographed cookbook. i've tried several recipes and they are very yummy. if you are looking for etiquette i would recommend another book. but for recipes this one is very nice.Get more detail about Afternoon Tea.

Shop For Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body

I'm very impressed with Raw Energy. I've been looking for ways to add more raw food to my diet, but not necessarily at dinner. And I don't have time, nor the organization, for raw food cookbooks that make you start an entree 3-5 days ahead of time to sprout, soak and dehydrate the creation. This book focuses on snacks.

I like that most recipes use ingredients I already have around the house. There are a few with more exotic ingredients like spirulina powder, but these are easy to skip over if you don't wish to buy the ingredient. Each recipe is fairly simple and straight forward. Most use a blender or food processor, a few use a dehydrator (but if you're into raw food, you probably already have these anyhow). There are lots of recipes that omit frequently allergic ingredients such as dairy, egg or gluten so I can make snacks for my friend with food allergies.

I just made Cashew Maple Oatmeal Squares and they taste just like an out-of-the-oven oatmeal cookie, but cold. There's also recipes for breakfast cereals, "milk"shakes and smoothies, dips, trail mixes and lots of desserts.

This book is going to be getting a lot of use at my house.Get more detail about Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body.

Wine: The 8,000 Year-Old Story of the Wine Trade

This was an extremely boring read, and read like a junior high text book. Way too much information, very few anecdotes. I can't remember anything interesting to take away from the book, and am sad I plowed threw the whole thing (I was on vacation, and that was the only book I brought.) I am a wine specialist and educator, and found no inspiration in this. Find another wine history book.Get more detail about Wine: The 8,000 Year-Old Story of the Wine Trade.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Bar Review

I was really disappointed with this book. The complete idiot's guide is an understatement. I have no experience working in a bar, but even I found myself reading this book and saying things like "Well, duh" to myself.

There were some pieces of info I found useful, but then the book stops and doesn't go into it. It will say things like "don't forget you need different types of glassware for different types of drinks" (no kidding, really?), but then doesn't give an idea of what you will need. Or it says "don't forget to price your food/drinks high enough to make a profit" (again, duh) but doesn't give you any formulas for actually producing the info you will need.

Basically, if you have any sort of business sense, any experience in the business world or project management or a bachelor's degree in any such field, you will be way over-qualified to read this book. I got more out of taking a local 1-week mixology course (a course that just teaches you how to mix drinks) than I got out of this book.

I ended up getting a few others that I have found VASTLY more helpful:

Small Business Financial Management Kit for Dummies (excellent book!!!)
Running a Bar for Dummies
Running a Restaurant for Dummies

The dummies series are much more comprehensive and provide more valuable tools and examples for actually creating what you will need. It gets down to the nitty gritty and assumes the reader has at least a basic business knowledge.Get more detail about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Bar.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Smoothies Top Quality

I didn't know how to make a smoothie and this book had easy to understand recipes for a great smoothie of many different types.Get more detail about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Smoothies.

Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey This instant

As a self proclaimed beergeek, and avid homebrewer, I found Red, White, and Brew a very enjoyable read, that forces the reader to keep turning pages to see what's next on the beer menu. The author does a nice job of getting behind the scenes of some of America's best breweries, and sheds some light on what makes these unique people tick.

My only critisism of the author's writing style lies in the way he weaves his own personal life experiences in with each of the interviews. I found this to be confusing at times, not completely sure if he was spaeking about himself, or the subject of his interview.

All in all this is a book worthy of a read by anyone who enjoys the craft brew revolution underway in our country, or just likes reading about, as well as drinking beer.Get more detail about Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey.

FOR GOD COUNTRY AND COCA-COLA Best Quality

Extensive and enlightening. Coke is not only a product, it is America in a bottle. This book is a history book and a handbook of marketing. English is spoken around the world thanks to Coke, and the title shows how much Americans consider this to be a due. Get more detail about FOR GOD COUNTRY AND COCA-COLA.

Successful Wine Marketing Get it now!

This is textbook on wine marketing, based on the annual wine marketing summer course at the University of California at Davis. It a mix of wine and business/marketing knowledge. I read it as someone who was curious about marketing wine, and someone who is generally wine interested, but am not in the business actively nor am I a marketing person. The book seemed well written, concise, and to the point. There are lots of examples, but this definitely looks and feels like a textbook rather than a popular business book. It's priced as a textbook as well, though inexpensive new copies are widely available.Get more detail about Successful Wine Marketing.

New Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home-and Microbrewers Order Now

New Brewing Lager Beer is the probably the most scientific brewing book I own. It goes through the chemistry of the mash, the effects of the water, calculations for almost everything you could run across, and several other things I can't remember. It has a small section of recipes, but it's mainly a fundamental knowledge book.

It is also the fundamental resource for one of the most difficult methods of homebrewing beer: the dreaded triple decoction mash all grain brew. Apart from using wild yeasts, nothing strikes fear in the hearts of homebrewers like the thought of a decoction mash. Instead of shying away from it or explaining it away, Noonan embraces the technique with an almost religious zeal. Although decoction mashes require several times the amount of effort and care of a standard mash, Noonan's process leads the brewer through it as easily as possible, and the results are simply not reproducible by other means. The question is: is that flavor worth the effort? For Noonan, it is. For most other brewers, it isn't. For those types, Noonan provides scaled down mashing processes, including double and single decoctions, step mashes, and the basic infusion. (after trying all of them, I've settled on the step for most of my brews. I figure it gives a good balance of conversion/extraction and not taking all damn day!)

For all its technical information, New Brewing Lager Beer is short on a couple fronts. It does not have much on recipe formulation or much of anything on ales, as the name would suggest. But that's ok: lots of other books have those.Get more detail about New Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home-and Microbrewers.

Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide Decide Now

If you like to Drink or Brew good beer this is a good book to read. It has great pictures and comprehensive descriptions of 500+ of the best beers in the world, and, and the traditional bottles & glass they are served in. I drink&brew and got this to give me inspiration for things to brew. It served that pupose well, and would be a good reference to inpress yer friends at the high end beer garden. Get more detail about Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide.

Techniques in Home Winemaking: The Comprehensive Guide to Making Chateau-Style Wines Right now

I'd recommend The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home as a starting point. It is clear, has good graphics and isn't overwhelming. Then, as you gain experience, this is the book to own and use for variations, clear problem-solving on difficulties faced, and as a reference book. If the topic comes up in home winemaking, the information is here in this book. Recommended bung sizes for common containers? Yep, table 2-3 on page 90. Measuring volatile acidity? Page 134 with the caution that this is an advanced technique requiring lab gear.

Though it's a great book, let me say that some of what is presented in the book is not consistent with what I would consider reasonable home winemaking. Though measuring the sugars, alcohol, and acid is all fine with me, there's a bit too much (for my taste) adding of modifiers to the wine (gum arabic and tannisol for example to alter the wine). That seems like something that's acceptable in a product that must turn out "correctly" each time, like a McDonald hamburger, but dodgier in a product like wine that we assume will be grapes, yeast, residual sulfur, and fining agent only. I mean, the loaf of bread I buy at the grocery store has ten ingredients, but the one I make at home has five (flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water). Mine doesn't turn out perfectly (and reproducibly) the same each time, but that's part of the game.Get more detail about Techniques in Home Winemaking: The Comprehensive Guide to Making Chateau-Style Wines.

Low Price Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer

I enjoyed this book immensely, being both a history buff and a beer reader. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. And then I sent it to a relative who will no doubt devour it as I did. Yes, it gets a bit dense at times, but only occasionally, and after all, it's history, so one has to expect at least a little of that. You can't go wrong with this one.Get more detail about Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer.

Save Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home

The book is written for beginners. I purchased this book hoping it was written for experienced homebrewers. All the recipes in the book are extract recipes. In general, had I known what I now know about this book, I would not have bought it. I would get radical brewing instead. I do like DFH brews, and respect Sam for what he has done to get his brewery running, I just don't think this book is worth it.Get more detail about Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home.

Discount Cooking With Jack The New Jack Daniel's Cookbook

Excellent cookbook. Great recipes for cooking with Jack Daniel. Many interesting stories from Lynne Tolley. Would recommend highly.Get more detail about Cooking With Jack The New Jack Daniel's Cookbook.

Cheapest The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation

Excellent book on wine for the beginning and intermediate sommelier. Very descriptive and an excellent resourse for winetasting terminology and research. Get more detail about The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation.

Cheap Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices

this is a very good book. Has a lot of healthy juice recipes. I like the fact that it tells you what vegetables are good for what ails you. Would recommend this for Juicing for health.Get more detail about Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices.

Buying The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide

This excellent book is well illustrated in color, with encyclopedic information
on everything related to coffee: How and where it is grown, roasting, grinding, the best methods
for brewing, and a section on the different coffees of the world. A great book whether
you are new to gourmet coffee or a seasoned drinker.Highly recommended.Get more detail about The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide.

Buy Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort

Not loaded with a bunch of coffee but real good chocolate recipes I haven't had time to tray many yet but the ones I tried are real winners! Great value and recipes!Get more detail about Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort.

Purchase Thomas Jefferson on Wine

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago because it looked interesting. I really enjoyed reading this book from the very first page !! Has alot of interesting facts and I also learned alot about wines from Thomas jeffersons era. Also has alot of history about Jefferson that I was never aware of. Get this book if you can,.......... I am glad that I did !!Get more detail about Thomas Jefferson on Wine.

Order California Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking))

California Wine For Dummies is an educational book for wine enthusiasts of a beginner level.

The book is organized into 5 parts and 15 chapters. Chapters 1-3 cover a background of California wine production with lots of statistics, what is in a varietal wine and which grapes are the most grown and harvested in California, and how to decode California wine labels

Chapter 4 covers the major wine regions of California which issentially means there is a section for Napa (5 pages), Sonoma (7 pages), and everything else (11 pages).

Chapters 5-11 cover different varietal wines and a bit about blends. These chapters also include the author's favorite examples of each varietal. They have LOTS of favorites. I think that it's good to offer examples and favorites (I think that lots of readers want guides of this type to assit them at the store as well), but it might encourage a reader to only seek out those wineries, which is pretty sad.

Chapter 12 covers pairing, collecting, storage, and a basic vintage guide.

Chapters 13 and 15 contain travel information.

Chapter 14 is sort of an FAQ (Are California Chardonnays Too Oaky? Are $100 wines worth the price?)

My opinion of the book is a bit mixed. I am very happy that I bought it because it does contain a lot of useful information and overall I am quite pleased with it. But I dislike that Chapter 4 was really about Napa and Sonoma and didn't contain as much information about the other regions in California. I think that these other regions are offering great values and should be explored and studied a bit more. After all, the book explains that Napa represents only 4% of California wine production.

So should you get this book? If you are at all interested in California wine, especially if you are a beginner my answer is a loud and clear YES! There is a lot of great information contained in these pages.

But I really do hope that subsequent editions of this book contain more information about other wine regions that are representative of production numbers.Get more detail about California Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking)).

Where To Buy The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy: A Regional and Village Guide to the Best Wines and Their Producers (The World's Finest Wines)

This book is very useful for wine lovers who already know the basics about Tuscany wines and region and wish to know something else. Colours and images make a very special presentation, as well as the family touch when showing the different generations of wine producers. Get more detail about The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy: A Regional and Village Guide to the Best Wines and Their Producers (The World's Finest Wines).

Shop For Camp Cooking: 100 Years

If you like cooking & love history this book is for you. Great recipes that can be cooked inside or out in cast iron. Great stories about the forest sevice, I just loved it. Especially the photographs.Get more detail about Camp Cooking: 100 Years.

Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer

Just got this book as a Valentine's Day present from my wife. Great book. I never totally understood the differences in the production processes for beer and wine before and this book took me through them in a very easy to understand manner. I especially enjoyed the chapters on the quality. I learned that the compound responsible for my beer reeking of butterscotch at times (diacetyl) is the same flavour I love in California Chardonnay wine and these wines are often known as "butter bombs". The differences between the various types of beers was also interesting and learning which foods go with which beers was the chapter that was the most helpful to me. This was an area where I was never quite sure and now I can pair beers with food with much more confidence.Get more detail about Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer.

Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer Review

With what I would call a fairly educated background, some of the biochem discussion was a little more than I can imagine is needed for the average home brewer. None the less those discussions were very informative for myself. I was in my 2nd year of brewing when I bought the book. I did end up reading the book cover to cover and constantly refer back to information in it.
Not the quickest reference book as it bounces between theory and practice through out.
I especially enjoyed the section on identifying off flavors in your beer, it was a great list of what not to do while brewing. I found it very pointed and concequential in nature. I mean what more does a book need to say than "Rack beer promptly; minimize bottle yeast; store beer cool" or your beer will taste like sulfur. That is just about how blatant the table format is for off flavors. Sometimes those are the types a statements novices need in brewing which is considered more of an art than a process.

I recommend this book...I actually bought a copy for a friend who is a home brewer.Get more detail about Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer.

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France Top Quality

Mr. Lynch brought a new way of bringing wine into this country, by finding small, high quality local producers, convincing them to sell him wine, and then importing the product. There are now a number of high quality importers following his path. I sell wine retail and frequently tell customers two things. These are the wines you drink when in Europe and wish you could find at home; and it's like going to a Farmer's Market to buy wines. The wines are agricultural, not industrial. The book tells the story of his first ventures into France.Get more detail about Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France.

The Complete Joy of Home Brewing Immediately

This is the homebrewer's bible. Read, revisit, and always keep a copy nearby (while you experiment... liberally). Get more detail about The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.